Her Deepest Fear
by lazer-angel
Summary: She was happy, she really was. She had a loving husband, a beauty that even the stars would envy, and all the riches she could dream of. But on Hallows' eve, many changes can happen, throwing her life completely out of balance.


**A/N: I know it's not my best work, but I was looking for some Halloween fics, and found none! So I decided to make this semi-Halloween-ish. Not much, really, but the spooky theme relates.**

**Oh, and as always, I don't own any characters, just the plot. (Disclaimer) **

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** Her Deepest Fear**

She stopped in front of a shabby-looking shop, glancing around before quickly and silently slipping in. She prayed fervently that no one had seen her. Usually, she loved having the attention, but if anyone caught her here…well, she'd have to move to America to hide from the shame.

"Ah, Missss Parkinssson," hissed a voice wickedly. "How nice it is to see you here again. It has been awhile, hasn't it?"

The young woman turned around sharply to the source of the voice. "It's Mrs. Malfoy," she retorted icily. "It has been for five years now."

The voice cackled. "Of course it has, dearie. I should know. After all, I _was_ the one who gave you the potion, wasn't I?"

The woman stiffened. "Yes, you were. And that's the reason I'm here. You said the potion would wear off in five years. Well, today's the eve of the night I gave it to him, so I need another potion."

The voice merely laughed. "I don't think so, _Mrs. Malfoy_. You see, this was a one-time chance. If you had not been able to make him fall in love with you in the five years you had, then that is your own fault. I cannot help you there."

Pansy's eyes narrowed dangerously and she snapped, "You little rat! You told me the potion was guaranteed to work!"

This time, the voice screeched with laughter. "Yes, I did! But you see, dearie, it _did_ work! It made him fall in love with you. But you had five years to keep that love and make it grow stronger. Otherwise," the voice giggled eerily at this, "he will fall _out_ of love, and you never know what will happen then, do you?"

Pansy faltered at this. He _had_ been acting a bit stranger these past few weeks. Disappearing for hours and coming back with the excuse that he was out with friends. Ignoring her and staring into space with glazed eyes. Snapping at her, something he never did before. She shut her eyes firmly and pushed those thoughts to the farthest corner of her mind. They were _not_ true, and she refused to believe them.

"Yes, yes, that's right. You think he's—"

"Don't you dare accuse him of that treachery," she warned her pale face turning paler and clenching her hands tightly.

"Of course, dearie. Whatever you say," mocked the voice.

Tense silence stood between the two debaters as each pondered the other's next words. Finally, it was Pansy who broke the silence.

She looked defeated and worried. "Is there…anything I can do to know that he truly loves me?" she whispered, trembling.

"Well, there _is_ something I have," responded the voice slyly. "However, you remember that I am quite pricey."

"I don't care. I'll take whatever you have," replied the latter.

"Very well." The seller's voice disappeared for a minute and returned with a small glass bottle with a frothy purple liquid inside held by a gloved hand. Pansy slowly reached out and took the fragile glass, staring at it with awe. "It is a bottle full of ancient magic. It reveals your deepest fear."

Any respect she had for the potion was immediately lost. "Are you telling me that all this stupid bottle does is show me what I'm scared of?" she sneered.

Laughing fiendishly, the voice replied, "No, it shows the sole fear that your heart possesses. It is the one thought that makes your blood run cold. It is the only thing that you detest the most. It tells you what you dread to be true."

"But how do I know if it is true?"

"Only you will know," responded the voice with a hint of malice.

There was a pause. "All right. I'll take it. What is your price this time? Fifty thousand galleons?"

A snicker came from the darkness where the voice resided. "I've told you, girl, I don't want your money. I have no use for shiny golden objects if I am to stay in this run-down shack for the rest of my life. You know what I want."

The woman stared at a patch of darkness absently. "No, not really. The first time I met you, you said you took my innocence. The second time I came, you took my faith. The last time I saw you, you took my redemption. There's nothing else in me to take."

"Now that's where you're wrong, dearie," chuckled the voice. "You still have one thing left, and I want it. I want your hope."

Hope? What was the use of hoping for anything anymore? When she lost her innocence, all she had lost was her virginity to Zabini, who she didn't even want to have sex with, but she didn't care. To lose faith was to stop trusting her parents and relatives, which didn't seem to affect anything, as she was already living on her own. When her redemption was sold, her parents had completely forgotten her, which still did not do anything, for she had already lost redemption when she lost her faith.

But hope? Did she have any use for hoping anymore? She had everything she had ever wanted. She had her dream husband, a beautiful manor, her everlasting beauty, and all the riches she could think of.

"Very well, I consent."

"Very good, dearie." The gloved hand was held out again and Pansy clasped the hand and shut her eyes, feeling a sense of warmth leaving her body. Her hand was immediately dropped, and she felt a sense of coldness inside, as she had always felt when the witch took something of hers.

"Now all you have to do is take it tonight. Do not delay it, for it only works on Hallows' Eve. Have a nice day, dearie," said the voice in a sickly sweet voice.

Slowly, Pansy turned back towards the door and walked out. Back inside, a figure stepped out of the darkness. A beautiful woman of about thirty stared at Pansy's retreating back. She closed her eyes and sighed as the warmth spread through her body, bringing it more youth.

When she opened her eyes again, she glanced into the mirror and smiled wickedly at the twenty-year-old face she saw. Only a few more innocent qualities to be snatched up from despairing women, and she would be eternally youthful.

xXx

Pansy crept inside her room and closed it quietly. She sat down on her bed and looked at the potion for a long time. Finally, she slowly pulled out the stopper on the bottle and raised it to her lips. When the bottle drained empty, she placed it on the side table and waited.

Suddenly, the world became fuzzy and lopsided. When it finally focused again, she stared at the man before her. Her husband. He looked around quickly before briskly setting off down the street. Pansy floated along silently watching him.

Finally, he stopped at a door and knocked. The door opened by itself and he walked in, loosening his tie. Dreading each subsequent moment, Pansy followed him as he walked into a living room and threw his jacket off onto a couch. He proceeded to a room with a closed door and opened it slowly.

There, on the bed, was a pretty young woman with long, loose brown curls. She lay on the bed half-naked, as if waiting for him. He went over to her and grabbed her shoulders, kissing her hard.

Pansy watched as the scene unfolded. She watched each of the two lovers' movements. She watched their faces and saw their ecstasy. She watched him. She saw the joy in his eyes. She watched him as he whispered the name over and over again, "Hermione." She finally closed her eyes and willed the scene to disappear. When she opened them, they did.

_It's not true_, she told herself. _That sorceress told me that I would know if it was true, and I don't believe it. I'm only afraid that he will lust over someone. There is no possible way that that could have been true.  
_

She heard a banging of the door downstairs and hurried to the entrance hall to meet her husband. There he stood, his hair slightly tousled and his jacket askew.

"Strong wind out there tonight," he called as Pansy scurried down the stairs.

"Yes, there must be," she replied, looking into the eyes of the man she used to and still did love. "I love you, Draco. You know that?"

He looked slightly surprised. "Well, of course. I love you too, Pansy." He enveloped her in a hug, and she breathed in his scent deeply. There was another smell there, too, aside from his usual cologne. It smelled of…lavender and summer roses…

And that was when she knew her deepest fear had been realized.

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**A/N: Well, I hope you liked it. Even though Draco/Hermione's relationship was pretty much implied.**

**Sorry, I accidentally deleted the first one! This is a re-posting.**

**I'm grateful for any reviews.**

**And Happy Halloween!**

_**♥lazer-angel♥ **_


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